Acting Police Commissioner Mc Donald Jacob says while police do not condone gang activity in the country, gang members, long ago, honoured a code where women and children were not the harmed in disputes, but now that seemed not to be the case.
On Sunday, a three-year-old child and a 27-year woman were among four people killed in Diego Martin.
The country also recently saw the death of another child because of gun violence. On October 15, nine-year-old Jomol Modeste was killed in a drive-by shooting at the Africa Recreation Grounds, Enterprise, Chaguanas.
In Sunday’s incident, police from the Four Roads CID and Western Division Task Force responded to a report of a shooting at around 1.20 am near Winnie Mohammed Road, Diego Martin. Four people were killed and two were wounded.
The dead are three-year-old Nazim Owen of La Puerta, Diego Martin; Chelsea Julien, 27, of Bagatelle, Diego Martin; Akil Keron Gloster of La Puerta Diego Martin and Marcus “Markie” Noel also of La Puerta.
Khadija Vilbara, and Nicholas Owen, baby Nazim’s father, also of La Puerta, are being treated at hospital.
All six were in a Nissan B15 when they were ambushed by shooters in a white station wagon.
[caption id="attachment_982309" align="alignnone" width="1024"] 27-year-old Chelsea Julien. -[/caption]
Shards of broken glass, blood stains and a smashed wall, where the B15 hit, were visible when Newsday visited the crime scene.
The murders prompted Jacob to issue a statement.
He said he not only wanted to offer condolences to the victims’ families and friends, but also timely justice.
“Yes, the crime scene investigators, forensics personnel, homicide detectives are all out there, working assiduously to find and bring in the perpetrators. If there is CCTV footage we will use it, witnesses will be interviewed.
Thorough investigations are underway and, once again, I am appealing to anyone who has information that can lead to the capture and arrest of these murderers, we need you to come forward.”
He also called on people to “put aside that erroneous rhetoric about not being able to trust police” and said there were ways of giving information anonymously.
“Don’t sit on information that can help not only a family, but all of us to heal from this attack that affects everyone.
“If we want light to prevail, then we must do what is right. When you see something, please say something to the police.”
Julien’s mother grieves
When Newsday visited Julien’s mother, she remembered her daughter as a jovial, fun-loving mother of three.
Eunice Julien said her daughter left to go to a wedding at Maracas Beach, enjoyed the celebration and, on her way home with her boyfriend, Gloster, was followed by gunmen and shot.
[caption id="attachment_982316" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Eunice Julien, mother of Chelsea Julien, is emotional as she speaks with reporters at her home on Sunday. - ROGER JACOB[/caption]
“She w
